Tips and Tricks to play AoE: DE

Jennifer Godwin

January 30, 2018

Hi there Age fans!

We’ve been watching some of your wonderful beta streams, and come to realize that no matter how good you are at the other Age games Age of Empires: Definitive Edition might take a little bit of getting used to! To help with that the best Age player on our team here at Microsoft Studios, Will McCahill, wrote up this list for you!

Good luck everyone, and have fun playing!!

A Quick Reference for Age II HD Players Who Want to Play AoE: DE

Key differences:No starting scout – you only get 3 villagers. Use one of your villagers to scout at the startNo garrisoning – you can’t hide your villagers in the event of an attack
Loom – No equivalent early game upgrade in Age:DE, villagers are a little stronger thoughHouses support only four population – Unlike Age 2’s five
No Palisade walls or equivalent – Walls cannot be made until they are researched at the granary starting in the Tool Age

Resources –

Granary: can only accept food from Berries and farms

Storage Pit: Accepts all wood, gold, and stone. Can only accept food from elephant, shore fish, crocodiles, lions and antelope.

Town Center: Any resource can be dropped off at the Town Center

Hunting: Gazelle (deer equivalent) spawn in larger groups and can be hunted efficiently

Farms: Aren’t available until a market is built. A market can’t be built until the tool age. Cost 75 wood each (compare to Age 2’s 60 wood each)

No Sheep or equivalent

Berries – Are the same!

Wolves – Replaced with lions and alligators. Villagers can kill lions and alligators 1 on 1 without upgrades if they throw the first spear (alligators are slow so you might want to micro your villager back a bit)

Boar – Replaced with elephants. Elephants have high DPS but are slower than a villager enabling you to kite.

Trees – Have a variable amount of wood. Generally, 40 wood per tree (compare to Age 2’s 100 wood)

Blacksmith upgrades are at the Storage pit – Upgrades are available starting in the Tool Age

Stone Age – Dark Age

Drush – Clubmen are only slightly stronger than villagers. It is rare to be able to do any real damage to your enemy until the tool age

Tool Age – Feudal Age

UpgradeCost – 500 food, same as AOE2

Market – Unlocked in the Tool Age (requires granary).

Required for farms

Has villager efficiency upgrades by resource type

Wood efficiency upgrade also improves archer range

Slingers – Strong anti-archer/anti-fortification unit that costs food and stone. Created at the barracks. Has no upgrade path meaning it’s strength peaks in the Tool Age. Generally used for rushes

Chariots – Can be upgraded to scythe chariots (which are basically paladins with splash damage) in the Iron age

Swordsmen – Prior to Bronze, players have access to Clubmen and Axemen. Those units cannot be upgraded to Swordsmen. Short Swordsmen can be created at the Barracks starting in the Bronze age and have an upgrade path similar to AOE2 Militia.

Academy – Requires a stable. Strong and expensive infantry (Hoplite, Phalanx, Centurion) can be made at the academy

Government Center

If you are booming – this should be your first building in the Bronze age

Town Center – Government center is required to build a second town center (You can build them for just 200 wood! Much cheaper than AOE2)